Srinagar: Police in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pulwama district said on Wednesday that they have booked a BJP Kisan Morcha leader for cheating and intimidation.

Officials said police in Pulwama district have registered a case of cheating and criminal intimidation against Aijaz Ahmad Shah, a BJP Kisan Morcha leader in the district.

The case has been registered against Shah at the Tral police station under sections 420 (cheating and dishonesty inducing someone to deliver property, money or valuables) and 506 (criminal intimidation) of the IPC, officials said.

The officials said since the alleged crime took place in 2022, the case has been registered under the IPC, which was replaced by the Bharatiya Nyay Sanhita (BNS) in July 2024.

The complaint alleged that Shah took money from him on the pretext of getting him help from police in a matter.

Shah, who was appointed vice president of the Pulwama Kisan Morcha last November, faces eight similar cases registered in at least four police stations in the district since 2016.

This was the third case registered against Shah this year. The development follows the registration of an FIR against BJP’s Pulwama district president Showkat Gayoor on August 11 for alleged extortion and threats.

The BJP has suspended Gayoor from all positions pending party disciplinary proceedings against him.

BJP leader Altaf Thakur, who also belongs to the Tral area, refused to comment on the latest FIR against Shah.

In the past, police have also booked some political leaders and activists for extortion and cheating, basically by promising government jobs and help from police and local officers.

In almost all such cases, the accused had made false promises by misusing the name of the political parties they belonged to.

During the peak years of terrorism, many such dishonest activists belonging to different political parties were accused of extorting money from parents of youths taken into custody for questioning by the security forces in terror-related cases.

New Delhi, Aug 19: Two women have been arrested for cheating a 67-year-old man of Rs 1.30 lakh after creating a fictitious dating app profile, meeting him in Delhi and allegedly stealing his mobile phone, police said on Wednesday.

According to the South-West District Police, one of the accused allegedly created and operated a dating app profile using a fictitious identity and established contact with the complainant. She later involved her associate, who allegedly met the victim by impersonating the woman whose profile he had interacted with online.

The case came to light after an e-FIR was registered at PS Cyber, South-West District, on July 25 following a complaint by the 67-year-old senior citizen. The complainant told police that he had come in contact with a woman through a dating app and later communicated with her through Telegram.

He subsequently met the woman and her associate in Defence Colony. On July 24, the complainant allegedly met both women at a restaurant in the area and had dinner with them. While leaving the restaurant, his mobile phone was allegedly stolen.

Soon after the theft, Rs 1.30 lakh was transferred through UPI from the complainant’s two bank accounts without his consent, police said.

Following registration of the case, a dedicated team comprising SI Neeraj and HC Sandeep was constituted under the leadership of Inspector Pravesh Kaushik, SHO, PS Cyber, South-West District, and the overall supervision of Sandeep Ghai, ACP/Ops, South-West District.

Investigators examined the banking trail, beneficiary accounts, CCTV footage and conducted technical surveillance. Account-opening forms, KYC documents, bank statements, and transaction details were obtained and analysed.

Police found that the amount cheated was initially transferred to an account in the name of one accused and subsequently to another bank account belonging to her associate. Of the total amount, Rs 90,000 was allegedly withdrawn through an ATM.

CCTV footage showed two women withdrawing the money, providing a crucial lead. Further technical analysis and examination of banking transactions helped police identify and trace the suspects.

The accused were identified as 26-year-old Jyotsna and 21-year-old Manshi, both residents of Delhi. Police said Jyotsna allegedly created and operated the fictitious dating app profile and established contact with the complainant before involving Manshi.

Manshi allegedly met the complainant by impersonating the dating app profile holder, making him believe she was the same woman with whom he had interacted online.

Police said the two accused had met the complainant on July 20 and again on July 24. During the second meeting, after dinner at a Defence Colony restaurant, his mobile phone was allegedly stolen.

The investigation further revealed that the stolen phone was subsequently destroyed by the accused, allegedly to eliminate evidence.

Police said the two women were arrested on the basis of the banking trail, CCTV footage, technical surveillance and other investigative leads. Two mobile phones have been recovered.

The case has been registered as e-FIR No. 381/26 under Section 318(4) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita at PS Cyber, South-West District. Further investigation is underway.

Kolkata: The West Bengal Police on Wednesday informed that the Special Task Force (STF) of the state police has arrested the third local associate of the Pakistani national, Wahab Alam, having links with Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), who was arrested earlier this month from Habra in North 24 Parganas district.

The person arrested by the STF sleuths has been identified as Zafar Sams alias Sunny. An original resident of Topsia in East Kolkata, Sunny had been absconding since the arrest of Alam.

Finally, he was arrested in Rishra in Hooghly district. However, the state police have not disclosed the time of his arrest and other relevant details.

The STF officials are currently interrogating Sunny to get details of his involvement in Alam’s activities. “We doubt Sunny played a role in strengthening the sleeper cell or network that Alam was forming to smuggle secret information from India to ISI,” said a state police officer.

Two days ago, Imran Hosain, a second associate of Alam, was arrested by STF sleuths from his residence in Topsia.

Before that, the state STF sleuths arrested Mohammad Izaz, Alam’s closest associate, also from his residence in the same locality of Topsia.

It is alleged that Alam, after illegally entering West Bengal via Nepal in 2012, used to stay at Izaz’s residence and the latter was instrumental in arranging Indian identity documents for the Pakistani national.

The STF sleuths got information about Sunny after integrating Alam, Izaz and Imran, first separately and then together.

Earlier on August 14 night, the STF sleuths arrested three other suspected Pakistani spies, all three being Indian citizens, from the Sahebganj area of the India-Bangladesh border district of Cooch Behar.

The names of the arrested are Rashidul Haque, Nur Nasiruddin Ali and Shafiqul Islam.

Meanwhile, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) has started collecting information about Wahab Alam. The move came after the preliminary investigation by the STF revealed Alam’s alleged links with Pakistan’s spy agency, ISI. The NIA has contacted the Bengal STF to obtain details of the investigation and the information gathered so far.

The NIA will interrogate Alam and Izaz, and if necessary, Hosaain and the other three arrested from Cooch Behar.